Fallout 3 Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

Head straight down the tunnel towards the large opening (where the train platform once was). This is where The Family lives and congregates, and as long as you didn't kill Robert or act in a hostile manner towards him (which, again, we must stress not to if you want to finish this side quest successfully), they'll all be friendly and willing to speak with you. But remember... as tempting as it is, and it's going to be tempting because there's so much valuable crap lying around, keep your hands to yourself. You'll lose karma for sure if you steal, but what's worse, if they know you stole, you're going to have your hands full with a plethora of well-armed thugs. It's best to get out of here, good or evil, without raising a fist.

You'll have one real objective here, and one only, and that's to speak to everyone and use your power of persuasion to get a computer password out of any of these guys. You'll have plenty of people to talk to (at least a half-dozen), so even those with incredibly low persuasion should be able to convince one of The Family's members to give up the password. Just inquire about everything, speak nicely, and take the highroad, even with the incredibly rude shopkeeper in the settlement. Once you have that password, all that's left to do is find Ian and convince him to get out of here.

If you haven't yet realized it, The Family is a rogue group practicing rampant vampirism. They aren't necessarily bad people, they just live outside of the very loose laws of the Capital Wasteland and must kill creatures and sometimes humans to survive (feel free to hack into one of their computers once a password is garnered to learn more about them, their laws, and more). But ultimately, you'll need to head up to the top platform via the broken-down escalator. Swing left, follow the linear corridor, and approach the computer terminal on the wall near a locked door. Yes, you'll encounter a bedroom (likely Vance's) on the left en route to the terminal, but as usual, look but don't touch.

Since you gleaned a password from one of the unsuspecting Family members, all you have to do is examine the computer and you will be given access to its programs automatically. Tell the computer to unlock the door, and then head on through. You'll find Ian sleeping on a bed within this room. Approach him and stir him awake to speak with him. From here, how you handle yourself is up to you, but remember that your primary goal is to convince him to head back to Arefu. Once you've done that, you've almost completely finished the side quest, save for one pretty important part. You still have to talk to the head of The Family, Vance, and tell him that Ian is going home.

This might seem like a bit of a daunting task, but it really isn't. Leave Ian's chambers and walk back down the corridor towards the broken-down escalators, and you should run into Vance. Speak with him (he'll likely talk to you first) and tell him that Ian is heading home. Vance will accept this (he seems like a pretty nice dude, after all), and while you can pick his brain as much as you want, and we encourage you to do so, once he knows Ian is heading back to Arefu, you are free to go. The final leg of the side quest should have flashed onto the screen at this point.

Head back to Arefu -- there are two routes you can take. The one that leads to Seneca, and the one down the alternate route before you go to the room Robert is guarding. The alternate route is actually quicker, since you'll find yourself outside before long, which will allow you to instantaneously transport yourself to Arefu. Find Evan King once you're back and speak with him, and let him know Ian is coming back. He'll be thrilled, and the side quest will conclude. Keep talking to him, and he may even give you some Vodka for your trouble. Good work!